


Talk Me Down

by Caschnazzlewrites



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, No Smut, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-22 20:12:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18141266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caschnazzlewrites/pseuds/Caschnazzlewrites
Summary: ...i wanna sleep next you...A fic based on some lyrics from Troye Sivan’s song Talk Me Down.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Hope you enjoy this fic that I wrote with Troye Sivan’s song in mind. It probably isn’t very good but I liked the idea and had to add it to the small collection of IASIP fics.

... ** _but_ _I_ _wanna_ _sleep_ _next_ _to_ _you_** …

 

 

Mac tossed and turned, his hot skin sticking to the black leather of the sofa. He had started sleeping there once Dennis had come back, waiting until he could afford to buy himself a bed. He sighs as he once again has to peel his skin off the couch to go to the bathroom. He looks at himself in the mirror as he washes his hands, the bags under his eyes growing more and more prominent as the nights go on. He runs a hand through his hair before returning to the sofa. He isn’t expecting to see Dennis sitting there when he returns.

“Shit Dennis! What are you doing sneaking around like that?” Mac says as he moves towards the couch. When Dennis doesn’t answer he speaks again. “What are you doing up?”

“I know you’re not sleeping Mac.”

“Yeah what about it?” Mac says sitting down on the opposite side of the couch from Dennis, puffing out his chest in defiance.

“It’s annoying the shit out of me and everybody else.” Dennis says getting up from the couch. “You can sleep in my bed as long as you don’t make it all gay and shit.”

Macs face falls as Dennis talks. The disappointment evident on his face by the time Dennis finishes talking.

“You don’t have to do that man. I think I’ll just stay out here.” Mac says laying back down and covering himself up with the small knitted throw that was draped over the back of the couch. He closes his eyes hoping Dennis will leave him alone. Today is not his lucky day. He feels the couch dip down next to his feet and he cracks an eye open to look down at Dennis.

“I talked to Dee.” Is all he says.

“You talked to Dee about what?” Mac says propping himself up on one elbow.

“I’m not sleeping either. I called her a bit ago and asked her for some of her stupid tips to fall asleep. Instead she told me it was because I wasn't sleeping next to you.” Dennis says looking directly into Macs eyes as he says this. “I figure she’s not wrong since that’s the only things that’s been different since I haven’t been able to sleep. That’s probably why you can’t sleep either.”

Mac remains silent for a while. He processes this a while before answering Dennis.

“I already knew that I wasn’t sleeping because I wasn’t next to you. In fact, I’m pretty sure I already told you that was why I didn’t get myself a bed.” Mac says this in a quiet but confident voice. He lowers himself back down and runs his hand through his hair. “You need to sleep next to me, but I wanna sleep next to you.”

Mac turns himself into the couch and wraps the blanket tighter around him and closes his eyes. He waits for Dennis to silently go back into his room before releasing a shuddering breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He calmly breathes in and out trying to fall asleep and forget tonight even happened. He is almost asleep when he hears Dennis walk back out of his room. He feels the couch dip next to him. Dennis’ slender arm wraps around his waist and his cold foot tucks in between his calves. He drapes a large comforter from his bed over them. Mac moves as close to the inside of the couch as he can. Dennis forms his body around Macs and Mac lets him knowing it’s the only way he’ll truly sleep good tonight.

“I’m sorry Mac but I wanna sleep…,” Dennis leaves it at that, unable to say the rest yet.“G’night Mac.”

“Night, Den.”

...


	2. Chapter Two

_... **and** **I** **wanna** **come** **home** **to** **you** … _

 

Mac is finishing his shift at the bar and has just locked the door behind him when his phone starts ringing. The picture flashing up is a picture Mac had taken of him and Dennis when they were extremely wasted. He presses the answer button with a sigh.

 

“What’s up Dennis?” Mac sighs rubbing the bridge of his nose and starts heading home. “I just closed the bar and I’m on my way to the apartment.”

 

“I was just calling to let you know I’m going out tonight so don’t expect me to be there when you get home. Don’t wait up for me!” Dennis says loudly and then ends the call with that. Mac texts Dennis telling him to check in with him and then puts his phone away and continues walking. He makes his way to a park and decided to sit and enjoy some fresh air before finishing the walk home. He ends up staying at the park a lot later than he expected. His phone hasn’t buzzed once in the four hours he’s been there. He heavily sighs before turning it off and making the rest of the walk home.

 

All of the lights are on in the apartment when he gets there and the tv is playing a rerun of friends. He curses Dennis in the quiet room. He gets ready for bed and then walks around shutting everything off that isn’t in use. He gets comfortable on the sofa before turning the channel to something he actually wants to watch. Mac is nearly nodding off when the door slams open and Dennis stumbles into their apartment. Mac jumps up at the intrusion.

“Jesus Den! Not cool!”

 

Dennis just lazily looks him up and down with glazed over eyes before throwing his keys on the table and going into his room. Mac doesn’t have time for Dennis’ shit tonight so he closes the front door and locks it before settling down for bed. He turns off the tv and finds himself in a similar spot as the night before. Tucked as far into the couch as possible, knitted throw covering most but not all of him. He can hear Dennis stumbling around his room, having left his door open. He sighs when he hears Dennis come out of his room and just stand at the foot of the couch. He can feel Dennis staring at him so he cracks an eye open and stares back.

 

“What do you want?” Mac says from his spot on the couch.

 

“You know what I want. Come on man, I’m not sharing the couch again.” Dennis says going back into his room.

 

Mac knows better than to not follow an order from Dennis and last night had been some of the best sleep he had gotten in a while so he follows Dennis into his bedroom. He closes the door and flicks the light off seeing Dennis was already wrapped comfortably in his spot on the bed. Mac joins him. He stays a comfortable distance away since they didn’t have to squish on the small leather couch anymore. Mac hears Dennis sigh and rustle around before he feels Dennis’ cold arms wrap around his torso underneath his tee. He feels Dennis’ warm breathe on the back of his neck and he tense ever so slightly at the contrasting temperatures.

 

“Your arms are cold as ice bro.” Mac says wrapping his arms around Dennis in an effort to heat them up.

 

“I walked home and I didn’t have my coat.” Dennis says tightening his embrace on the other man and pressing his body as close as he could get to the human radiator that was Mac.

 

“You gotta stop doing that. I could have walked over and driven for you.” Mac says turning to look at the man behind him. Mac shifts his body so that Dennis is now curled into his chest, arms still wrapped tightly around him. Dennis just minutely shrugs and the room gets quiet. Dennis is getting annoyed because he can feel how hard Mac is thinking.

 

“Why are you thinking so hard? It’s hurting my brain.” Dennis mumbles. Mac doesn’t answer for a while, until Dennis hits him in the chest to remind him to.

 

“Sorry, I’m just lost in my head I guess.”

 

“I know that idiot! I’m asking what you are thinking about.” Dennis backs away so he can look at Macs face.

 

“Just things. I was kinda hoping you would be here when I was done at Paddy's tonight. Instead you were out drinking and you didn’t even check in. I know you don’t owe it to me to check in, but you know how my anxiety about that kinda stuff gets.”

 

“Yeah you got that goddamn right. I don’t owe you shit.” Dennis says sitting up in an immediately defensive position. He pinched the bridge of his nose and takes a few deep breaths before speaking again. “Sorry. Sorry. You’re right I should have checked in with you.” Dennis apologizes before settling back into his spot on the bed.

 

Mac runs his hand down Dennis arm before speaking again. “It’s fine Den. Let’s just go to bed.”

Mac pulls the comforter up farther. “Night, Den.”

 

“Mac do you really want me to be here when you get off work that badly?” Dennis almost whispers as if to keep it a secret, even though it is only them.

 

“Yeah Den. If we aren’t closing together it’s not a good night and I wanna come home to you.” Mac whispers back to him. Dennis doesn’t reply but he does tighten his grip on Mac ever so slightly. The room remain quiet until Dennis hears Macs breathes even out.

 

“Night Mac...and I wanna come home to you too.” Dennis mumbles before drifting off to sleep himself.

 

...


	3. Chapter Three

_... **I** **wanna** **hold** **hands** **with** **you** … _

 

The first time Mac tries to initiate public displays of affection with Dennis he is rightfully freaked out. They are standing admittedly too close together during a scheme and Mac absentmindedly intertwined their fingers together. It takes a bit for Dennis to actually notice before be shakes his hand free.

 

“What the hell man?!” Dennis yelled with a weirded out look to his friend. Mac just froze up and then quickly ran out of the bar.

 

“What the hell has gotten into him lately!” Dee says from over where she is helping Charlie with a bucket of only god knows what behind the bar.

“Yeah man, he’s acting all skittish like the rats.” Charlie says pulling an amorphous white blob out of the bucket and immediately dropping it back in.

 

“I don’t know guys, he’s been struggling a lot with his feelings about me lately.” Dennis says reaching for a bottle of beer behind the bar managing to steer clear of whatever Dee and Charlie were doing.

 

“First of all, why is everything always about you?” Dee says wiping her hands off and leaving Charlie to deal with the bucket. She grabs her own beer and moves down the bar to Dennis. “Second of all, we could solve all of this by you just telling him that you feel the same way.” Dee says chugging nearly half of her beer after talking.

 

“Dee, you dumb bitch, I don’t even remotely feel the same way as he does!” Dennis yells waving his beer around fanatically.

 

“Yeah, you just casually like living and cuddling with a guy you ‘can’t stand’ and ‘find very annoying’. Grow up Dennis! We aren’t that stupid. We all can see the way you look at him. Including Mac! The mixed signals are probably why he is struggling so much. It’s really not fair for you to criticize him for it when it’s really your fault.” Dee says with a satisfied smirk as she finishes.

 

“I gotta agree with Dee on this one Dennis. You’re always looking at him the same way like the in love people from movies do.” Charlie says catching the bucket before it nearly falls off the bar. Some of the white liquid sloshing out of the side and onto Charlie’s dark gray tee. “Ah, shit!”

 

“I don’t have to take this from a bird woman and a man covered in a mystery white sludge. I am a golden god! You are beneath me!” Dennis exalts and slams his beer down on the bar before storming out of the bar mumbling the whole way out. Dee and Charlie only exchange a look before returning to what they were doing. Frank meanders out of the office at the front door slamming shut.

 

“What did I miss?!” Frank asks hopping up onto a bar stool. Dee and Charlie both roll their eyes before giving him a run down.

 

Mac had just made it back to the apartment. He stormed his way into his bedroom and locked the door before having a total freak out. He goes over and over in his head, why he would just hold Dennis hand like that, right in public. He didn’t mean to. It had just happened. Dennis was going to be weird about it. Mac is so wrapped up in his head he doesn’t notice Dennis get home and lock himself in his own room. That’s where they remain for most of the day and into the night until Mac gets tired and knows he either has to sleep on the couch or go see if Dennis is home. As Mac makes his way over to Dennis’ room, the door creeps open and Dennis comes out pausing when he sees Mac standing there.

 

“I was just coming to see if you were home.” Mac says at the same time that Dennis says, “I was just coming to see if you were coming to bed.”

 

Dennis answers first. “I’m home.”

 

“Don’t you think we should talk about today?” Mac says hanging his head but knowing it must be said.

 

“Uhh yeah. Yeah we can talk about it.” Dennis says moving to sit on the arm of the couch. Mac stays standing not wanting to make Dennis anymore uncomfortable than he already is.

 

“ I’m sorry I held you hand today. I still don’t really remember how it happened it just kinda did. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Mac says ringing his hands together and fiddling with the hem of his armless tee. “ I really didn’t mean to ruin our friendship or what semblance of a friendship we have left since I came out.”

 

“Hey Mac listen. It’s not all your fault. I have been _distant_ since you came out. I guess it just made it real that you were into me and not just some joke that was going on for way to long. Dee and Charlie  kinda opened my eyes earlier even though I was resistant at first.” Dennis takes a long breath before continuing. “I have been acting like I hate you since I met you and it sorta became a habit. A habit that went on long enough that it’s started to become the way I felt towards you, or so I thought. Because I don’t hate you. I don’t hate you at all. It was just so ingrained in me that I believed it. Dee told me something earlier today that made me realize how I truly felt about you. I like you a lot man. Enough that I continue to live with you and I can’t sleep unless I’m next to you. Even if you do annoy me sometimes. Like the bike. You have gotta get rid of that thing man. That’s besides the point. You didn’t do anything wrong today because I like you...and I wanna hold hands with you.” Dennis says mumbling the last bit as he finishes his grand speech. Mac hears it anyway and can’t help the smile that slowly takes over his face. He can barely believe that his best friend and the man he’s been in love with for years is finally admitting that he likes him.

 

“So when you say like...do you mean like or _like like_?” Mac says shit eating grin nearly splitting his face. He moves over to Dennis and reaches out a hand hoping the other man will grab hold. Dennis rolls his eyes before tugging on the hand and resting his forehead against Macs.

 

“Obviously _like like_ you bitch.” Dennis says and covers Macs mouth with his. The kiss is a short and sweet one. Mac somehow comes out of it breathless despite the length.

 

“I’m counting that as our first kiss. Even though it wasn’t.” Mac says leaning back to look at Dennis and pulling him up from the arm of the couch. “Let’s go to bed.”

 

“Okay.” Dennis says pulling Mac by their interlocked fingers into his bedroom.

 

...


	4. Chapter Four

_... **I** **wanna** **be** **close** **to** **you** … _

 

The gang's knees deep in the middle of one of their schemes when Dee suggests that two of them are going to have to get married to get the authorities off their back. Dee and Charlie look at each other in disgust before all eyes turn to Dennis and Mac. They refuse to look at each other.

 

“What are you looking at us for!” Dennis angrily yells at the group from where he is sitting at the bar.

 

“Dude you guys are practically already married. You two are the best option!” Dee says from where she’s standing behind the bar.

 

Mac who is refusing to look up from one particular spot on the bar reaches his hand out to comfort Dennis who he can feel is about to spill over with rage. Before he can Dennis gets up quickly enough to knock his stool over and rages out of the bar, screaming his objection. The door slamming shocks Mac into looking up finally. Mac rests his head in his hand before rubbing his face and then running a hand through his hair.

 

“Do you ever think about anyone except yourselves?” Mac starts. “Like honestly does it ever cross your mind that certain things might be touchy or crossing a line? Do you guys genuinely hate me and like making my life a living hell!” Mac’s voice is raising as he speaks at the two idiots standing behind the bar. His finger pointing accusingly at them. His eyes tearing up in frustration.

“I just barely got him to tolerate me again and you guys have to go and ruin everything. I’m gonna be stuck on the couch for months if not more than a year now. He’s not gonna touch me. But jokes on you guys cause now you get to deal with my shitty attitude for months and months. I can’t believe you assholes. Maybe start thinking about other people from now on. I hate you guys. God, I genuinely hate you guys.” Mac storms out albeit much slower and solemn than Dennis did.

 

The door closes behind him with a loud click and Dee and Charlie are left standing there in shock. Mac had never been the one to say he hated them and he rarely used god's name in vain. They knew they had fucked up.

 

Dennis storms into the bar from the alley entrance but stops short when he see that Mac isn’t there and Dee and Charlie are standing behind the bar with tears in their eyes.

 

“Dude we fucked up.” Charlie says to Dee who just nods.

 

“Where’s Mac?” Dennis says announcing his presence. “What did you do after I left?”

 

“Nothing it’s what Mac did.” Dee says voice low and shaky. “He said he hated us. He blasphemed.”

 

Dennis looks shocked at the fact the Mac would do either of those things. Mac never outwardly said he hated anyone in the gang and to blaspheme as well he must be more than upset.

 

“What did he say he hated you for?” Dennis ask the others who share a look before Charlie answers.

 

“He thinks what we said is gonna make you hate him man.”

 

Dennis knows that Mac is right to think that way because Dennis had stormed off and if had been anytime before this year that would have been why. Dennis had been mad at first but it was at the suggestion they get married as a scheme and not the getting married part. In fact Dennis had been thinking about marrying Mac for a while now. He didn’t realize him storming off would come across differently to Mac.

 

“Shit. I gotta go!” Dennis says slapping the bar and then running out of the building to find Mac.

 

He finds him pacing the living room of their apartment, face blotchy and tears running down his face. Mac’s shocked to see him and hurries over to Dennis, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face into his neck.

 

“Dennis! You’re home. Please don’t leave me! Don’t listen to what they said! It was all just a stupid scheme and it doesn’t have to change anything!”

 

“Wait, Mac stop.” Dennis says pushing Mac off of him to look at his face.

 

“Please don’t do this Dennis. I don’t think I can do it again.” Mac’s face breaks.

 

“Oh no! No Mac! That’s not what I meant.” Dennis’ hands go to cup Mac’s face and he looks him dead in the eye. “I’m not mad at you and I’m not mad at the rest of the gang. Okay Mac?”

 

Mac nods and leans his head into one of the hands on his face. The tears don’t stop, emotion thick on his face.

 

“I wasn’t mad at the gang because they suggested we get married Mac. I was mad cause they suggested we do it for a scheme!” Dennis says resting his forehead against Mac’s as a tiny gasp escapes the other man. “I love you a lot Mac and I want to be close to you. I would be happy to marry you one day. Okay baby? Just not as a scheme.” Dennis back away from the other man to look at his face. He is happy to see Mac’s goofy smile lighting up his face even through all of the tears and snot on his face.

 

“I love you too Dennis and I would have married you years ago.”

 

“Is that a proposal Mac?” Dennis says laugh bubbling out of him.

 

“It’s what you want it to be Den.” Mac says face suddenly a little shy.

 

“How about we have a competition to see who can propose better and have the gang rank them. That can be their punishment.” Dennis says placing a small kiss on the other man's forehead as he laughs.

 

“Hey Dennis? Will you really marry me?” Mac asks bashfully looking into Dennis’ eyes.

 

“Yeah Mac.” Dennis says. “Will you really marry me?”

 

“Like you even have to ask!” Mac says hitting Dennis’ arm. His eyes soften before he answers though. “Yeah Dennis. I love you a lot and nothing would make me happier in this entire world.”

 

“Yeah, yeah okay. Enough of that. Let’s clean your face cause it’s covered in snot and tears and I wanna kiss you.” Dennis says steering Mac away from the still opened doorway, closing the door as they go.

 

 

...

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think in the comments! Thanks!


End file.
